Saved by a Brainstorm!

Over the last few weeks, I have been fearful that I would not be able to collect enough data to really complete my research project, but things have been turning around! Last week I began to compose my final research paper, and really started stressing out about how my actual internship is not lining up with the internship I outlined in my research proposal paper, but after some much-needed relaxation and brainstorming with my husband, things are thankfully coming together. One essential component of my proposal is the distribution of seafood guides to aquarium visitors during one of the many shows, but as weeks are quickly passing us by, I realized that this initiative is not really in the cards. So as an alternative, next week I will be setting up and manning a table in the main lobby of the aquarium to hand out seafood guides and help introduce visitors to sustainable seafood. I will be keeping track of all guides distributed, and this information will be used as data to help determine the results of my project. So happy to finally have the ball rolling on this piece of my project.

As for the rest of it, several social media posts have already gone live, along with all of the programs webpages, and the business partnership program is ready to start reaching out to some local restaurants! This week I completed a two-sided information card to distribute to the program’s business partners. On one side, the card addresses the below commonly asked questions about sustainable seafood:

Q: What is sustainable seafood?

A: Sustainable seafood is harvested from sources that can maintain or increase production without damaging the structure or function of fish stocks or source ecosystems.

Q: Why do seafood choices matter?

A: Buying sustainable seafood expresses your preference for these products, and supports sources that use responsible harvesting practices that help to maintain healthy marine environments.

Q: How do I know where my seafood comes from?

Seafood is typically labeled with source information including, where the item is from, and if it was farm raised or wild-caught. If source information is not available, we recommend that you ask a simple question: “Do you know where this seafood comes from?”

The back side of the information card has additional information on where to find sustainable seafood guides for download and a QR code to download our partner, Seafood Watch’s app for smartphones. I also designed a Seafood Now business card, and now I am just awaiting approval from marketing, and then every piece of my project will officially be launched! Additionally, several interesting things happened this week including penguins walking through the office, my supervisor took an armadillo to surgery, and I found some photos of a dolphin autopsy, the aquarium is truly a special place.